What Is It Like To Be a Nurse?
Nursing is one of the best careers available today. The profession is not only highly rewarding but also extremely diverse. Nurses play a pivotal role in health care, serving on the front lines and treating individuals of all ages and backgrounds.
Nurses focus on the overall well-being of patients, whereas doctors diagnose and prescribe. In other words, nurses are with their patients for the long haul, administering their medication, monitoring their progress, listening to their concerns, and so much more.
To work in nursing, you must be able to stay calm and focused in stressful situations, remain positive in unpleasant scenarios, work well in a team environment, and refrain from passing judgment on others.
What Do Nurses Do?
Nurses are responsible for providing safe, effective compassionate care to patients, which involves a wide variety of tasks such as:
- Performing assessments
- Taking and recording vitals
- Reading labs and medical histories
- Dispensing medication
- Providing wound care
- Administering intramuscular injections
- Inserting nasogastric (NG) tubes
- Assisting patients with personal care (bathing, grooming)
Where Do Nurses Work?
While hospitals are the largest employers of registered nurses, you’ll find a nurse hard at work wherever there’s a need for patient care. These settings include private practices, nursing homes, military bases, schools, outpatient clinics, correctional facilities, and summer camps to name a few. There are also travel nurses who fill temporary nursing shortages in different parts of the country.
Types of Nursing Jobs
Nursing is a diverse profession, with countless specialty areas of practice, including medical-surgical, cardiology, hematology, labor and delivery, pediatrics, oncology, and nephrology, among others.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nurse employment is projected to grow 9% from 2020 to 2030. When it comes to pay, the median annual nurse salary in the United States is $77,600 (as of May 2021).
So now that you know what it’s like to be a nurse, complete our online form to have an admissions representative contact you about nursing school options.
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